Badminton Strings - Everything You Need to Know

When was the last time you gave some thought to your Badminton Strings?

Don’t tell me, it was when you broke a string. It was the end of the world because your favourite racket would never be the same again. Disconsolate you asked everyone you knew where it could be repaired and at length you found a shop miles from home and down a back alley.

So lovingly you handed over your prize possession for examination only to be told the awful truth, it was dead!... Replacing one string will upset all the tensions in the adjoining Badminton strings, so the best option would be a complete restring. But don’t panic, it’s not a disaster, it's a very quick and affordable process these days.

The next big question is what type of Badminton strings would you like, natural gut or synthetic?

What quality, make and size of string do you want?

And one more thing... what tension would you like?

Oh no, PANIC !!!!

The other occasion is where you’ve got a bit more money to spend on a new racket!

Aside from the price you’re willing to pay most people will be governed by familiarity, ie same make as you already have, or something new that has been suggested by a friend or even the salesperson.

But what else is there to consider...

...Style of play and then perhaps colour. Weight and ‘feel’ are probably next in line, and as you finally get stuck between two choices you hit the frame of one racket against the Badminton strings of another and vice versa.

One makes a ‘diong’ sound the other a ‘ting’, and that’s the one for you.

Not very scientific is it.

So here's how to decide on the best Badminton strings for you...

• Natural gut strings are rare now and expensive, so your choice will be synthetics.

• But what size?. Most people will go for the most expensive or ‘the biggest number’ because it sounds like it's best quality, when in fact it actually means thinnest and most fragile.

• Thicker strings are more durable, offer more control but less power.

• Thinner strings will give more power but won’t last as long.

My advice regarding the size or type of Badminton strings you choose is to look at the Yonex website as they claim over 90% of worlds top players ‘use Yonex Strings’. The majority of sports shops offering racket re-stringing will use Yonex products. But be sure to only ask the advice of the salesperson if they actually play Badminton – because most don’t.

In terms of tension, soft/springy/tight/hard are hardly measurable terms.

String tension is usually between 16lb to 26lb, the re-stringer needs to know a number or you will get their best guess based on your description. Many rackets now have their string tension range printed somewhere on the frame. A spring tension of 22lb is probably the average for a good quality new racket.

If you can afford it, buy 2 or 3 similar rackets and then get them re-strung at different tensions.

The best advice I can give in terms of Badminton Strings is, feel it... test it... then decide on what you like best.

If you want to improve your fitness for Badminton then you should follow a Badminton training program which is specifically designed for Badminton players. Find out more here - Badminton training program

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